Pol Robinson - Open Water

by Pol Robinson

  Laura pulled her cap off and ran her fingers through her hair, freeing her curls from their restricting band. “No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I have a lot on my mind and it’s not just the stuff here. I guess I let it spill over.” She opened the door to their building and waved to the guard at the desk. “Can we start again?” Holding out her hand, she smiled at Cass. “Hi, I’m Laura. Nice to meet you, welcome to Beijing.” She paused, then added, “And welcome to the team.”

  Cass stepped into the elevator as Laura held the door, then shook the proffered hand. She grinned up at Laura and gently tightened her grip. “Hi, I’m Cass. Nice to meet you.”

  Both women were smiling as the elevator doors slid shut.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Cass jerked awake as the van came to a stop outside of the village dining hall. This morning’s workout had been brutal and she was almost too tired to move from the seat.

  “C’mon Cass, time to put food in you.” Amy nudged her shoulder.

  “Can’t. Too tired to eat.”

  Amy nudged her again. “Cass...c’mon. I can’t get out until you do.”

  “Fine, just quit pushing, will ya?”

  Sliding along the seat, Cass crouched and stepped out of the van. Instead of meeting the expected curb, her foot met only open air. With a yelp, she twisted and reached out, startled to feel a strong arm snake around her waist, stopping her fall. Laura’s warm voice filled her ears, and Cass opened her eyes to find Laura’s face inches from her own.

  “I’ve got you.”

  “Uh...oh. Thanks.”

  “Wouldn’t do to have you get hurt, I think we’ve run out of spares.”

  Cass fought to catch her breath. You can’t breathe because she’s got a grip on your abdomen. Yeah, that’s it. Sure. Keep telling yourself that, Cass. Liar.

  “Thanks...um, you can let go now, you know.”

  Laura’s arm stayed where it was for a moment, locked around Cass’s waist, her other arm bracing the weight of the two of them against the van. The rest of the team had gone on ahead of them. Laura smiled again at Cass before letting her go.

  “I did promise, did I not, to try to be nicer? How am I doing?”

  Slightly breathless from the sudden warm smile on Laura’s face and the warm things that smile was doing to her insides, Cass just nodded.

  “Cass? You okay?”

  Cass shook her head a bit to clear it. “Yeah. Fine. I think I just need food.”

  “Let’s get you inside then.”

  “Sure.”

  Slightly bemused, Cass followed Laura inside. Food. Yeah. That’s what you need. Whoa.

  Cass spent the rest of the dinner trying to conquer the butterflies racing around her stomach. Butterflies that multiplied each time she looked up to see Laura watching her.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Four days later Cass stepped from the bathroom, toweling her hair dry to find Amy grumbling and tossing her sheets and pillowcases into a pile on the bed. It was unusually warm in the room and Cass automatically headed toward the air conditioning controls to adjust the temperature.

  “Don’t bother. Frigging thing doesn’t work anymore.”

  “You’re joking.”

  “Uh-uh. Coach says it’ll be at least a week before they can get it fixed. I swear we got the only building here that’s older than the Imperial Palace and the air conditioner is almost as old.” With a final yank, Amy’s corner sheet came free and she stumbled back into Cass. “Sorry.”

  Cass shook out her hair and began combing through it. “So, what’s the deal? Are you going to sleep on the beach?” She grinned at the thought, figuring Amy would have several offers of sleeping companion if she wished, and pictured her spunky roommate telling her would-be suitors where to get off.

  “Ha, not likely. No, Coach suggested we all move to the common room. The air still works in there...mostly and it’ll be cooler.”

  “Yeah, until we all get in there.” With a shrug, Cass threw on a tank top and her oldest cotton shorts, fondly rubbing the fading ink of Bucky Badger as he strutted across her thigh. “We’re taking the mattresses, right?”

  “Yeah, we’ll come back for them after we stake out our space. I’m leaving my clothes and uniforms in here, just to change and stuff.”

  “I’ll meet you out there.” Cass began pulling her own bedding off, a more difficult task with her upper bunk. Laura’s voice startled her from the doorway.

  “Hey. I see you both got the ‘evac’ notice.” Laura watched Cass struggle with her sheets before reaching over her to pull the bedcovers free. “Better?”

  “Yeah. Thanks.” Aware that she had nothing on under her shirt or her shorts, Cass was suddenly grateful for the increasing warmth in the room...and the fact that she’d opted for a dark tank top and not the white she’d been about to grab.

  In the days since their “do-over” in the elevator, Laura had made a noticeable effort to be friendlier and Cass was enjoying Laura’s emerging sense of humor and personality. Really enjoying it. She knew herself well enough to know that she was attracted to Laura, a fact she’d admitted to herself and to Amy late last night. Amy had been delighted and had surprised Cass by not teasing her, as she’d expected, but offering what information she felt she could share about their teammate.

  A crush was one thing, but waltzing around in front of the object of her affection in almost nothing was another. I’m gonna poke out enough in this shirt and with her standing so close all I need is cold air to make the effect complete! Crossing her arms somewhat defensively over her chest, she asked, “Are, uh, you all settled out there?”

  “Just about.” Laura scratched her head, shifting her weight from one foot to another. “Um, I’ve snagged some room near one of the windows with screens on them...” Laura hesitated, then took a deep breath and added. “There’s probably enough room for you to toss your mattress there, if you’d like. That way if the A/C in the main room dies too, we’ll at least catch a breeze.”

  Raising her eyes to meet Laura’s, Cass studied her face, noting the dark ring around the green of Laura’s eyes and enjoying the deeper color in the softly lit room.

  “You’re really taking this ‘being nicer’ plan to heart.”

  “Yeah, well, turning over a new leaf and all.”

  “I appreciate it. And the window space, if you have the room.”

  Laura simply smiled and nudged Cass out of the way, reaching for the mattress on the upper bunk. “I’ll get this while you get your bedding.”

  “Lead the way.” Cass smiled at Amy as the cox came back into the room for her second load.

  Amy looked from Cass to Laura and back again, tossing a wink Cass’s way. “Hey! How’d you rate the manual laborer?”

  Cass grinned back. “Just lucky, I guess.”

  Chapter Twenty

  “Mind if I join you?”

  Laura’s soft voice startled Cass out of her reverie. Cass had come into the rec center in the residential area of the Olympic Village to check her e-mail and to simply relax. Despite Amy’s claims to the contrary, the dorms, like the rest of the village, were brand new. Whatever was affecting the air conditioning was also disrupting the Internet service in the dorms. It didn’t seem to be affecting the other areas, however, and the main recreational area for the athletes was state-of-the-art. The Internet café sported docking stations, desktop units and offered wireless for those who could access it. The café was crowded, but not overly so and Cass had quickly found an overstuffed chair with her name on it. She’d come here directly after the morning’s training sessions, looking for a chance to catch up on her mail. And...maybe to lose herself in the larger crowd for a while.

  The other night, as she’d sat on the dock, Cass had felt very alone, despite the welcome from her teammates. Now, with the entire team packed into one common room, “loneliness,” at least in the traditional sense, was unheard of. For someone who was used to her quiet time, the sudden enforced closeness was grating on
her nerves. So she’d used her rare free time to hunt up one of the more commercial spaces in the village. It was quite possible to be alone in a busy Starbucks if you wanted to be. Her little correspondence had not taken much time to answer and Cass had simply lost herself in idly watching the ebb and flow of the crowd.

  As more teams transitioned to Beijing from their temporary training facilities in Japan or other locations, the population of the Olympic Village was growing. Eventually nearly eighteen thousand athletes and team officials would fill the residential section, located on the western side of the enormous, nearly two-hundred-acre facility the Chinese had named the Olympic Green. Adjoining the village was the even larger Forest Park, a nineteen-hundred-acre mix of lakes, pathways and manicured lawns designed to “soothe the eyes and ease the soul” according to the brochure she’d read. Cass had not yet made it to the main park, and she was beginning to feel the strain of being among so many people in one concentrated area. Laura’s interruption made her realize she had been in the café longer than she’d intended.

  “What time is it?” Cass asked.

  “Close to three.”

  “Oh man. Really? Have I missed anything?” Cass flipped her laptop closed and began tossing her things into her backpack.

  “Relax. No, nothing. Remember? Coach gave us the afternoon off. Furlough for ‘good behavior’ I think she called it.” She cocked her head slightly to one side. “I hear John Sullivan’s looking for you.”

  They both laughed at that. Sarah’s father had taken to calling Cass his “other girl” when introducing the double scull team around. Cass wasn’t entirely certain how she felt about it, though it was clear that John meant it in a fun, family way.

  Laura unknowingly echoed Cass’s thoughts. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Big John sort of adopts all of the team’s orphans.”

  “Oh, right.” Cass continued to pack her backpack, deciding she’d spent enough time inside today. Maybe she’d check out the larger Forest Park.

  “So, what were you up to?”

  “Just checking e-mail, nothing much.”

  “Keeping the family up to date?”

  “Ahh.” Cass shifted uncomfortably. “No.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

  “It’s okay, you’re not prying. There’s just no family to keep updated.” Cass stood up and considered her companion for a moment. At Laura’s look, she waved a hand toward the door. “It’s getting crowded in here, want to take a walk? Or were you just looking for the chair?”

  “Sure. I figured I’d roust you out and scope out the room.” Laura quirked a small smile at Cass. “But, seeing as all the interesting people are leaving, I guess a walk sounds good.”

  Leaving the crowded shop behind, the two women headed away from the village center. Because they were still in the residential area of the Olympic Village, most of those around them were athletes, coaches and support staff. It made for an intense group of people, and Cass decided she needed a break—from all things Olympic. Just for a short while. She glanced over at Laura then hesitated while she considered the last few days.

  True to her word, Laura had indeed reserved a spot for her near the windows in their common room, but then she had withdrawn again. While Cass had hoped that the enforced proximity would give them a chance to talk more, the more she attempted to get to know her, the more Laura closed up. Cass could see that Laura was trying, but whatever held her back was winning. In the week since the move to the common room, they’d had hardly a minute together that didn’t directly involve rowing. Cass wanted to spend some time getting to know this intriguing woman, but spending her off-time with Cass didn’t seem high on Laura’s list of priorities. Well, except for today. On the other hand—

  “You look like a guppy.”

  “Sorry?”

  “You keep opening and closing your mouth, but nothing’s coming out. Are you having trouble breathing or are you practicing your fish impressions?”

  Cass chuckled, her indecisiveness gone. She pulled Laura off the crowded sidewalk.

  “I found this neat little park, just outside of the residential area, want to go?”

  “Sounds great, if you don’t mind the company.”

  “No, it’s fine. You’re fine, I mean. It’s not as big, or so I hear, as that huge Forest Park, but it’s a pretty neat place. I guess all of this was just dirt and rubble until January or so, from what I’ve read. The park, though, I think it’s been here a while. It’s a bit of a walk.”

  Laura shrugged. “I’m game if you are, we’ve got the rest of the day free.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Cass waved Laura through a small rusted gate on the edge of the official Olympic property. Tucked into an aged stone wall, the entrance nearly blended into the shadows. The gate creaked softly as Laura pushed it closed behind them, the latch making a muffled clang. Inside the garden the afternoon sun’s rays filtered through the leaves, dotting the ground and stone statues with dancing waves of light and dark. Fifty or so yards from the entrance, the ground rose abruptly—a steep hillside covered with trees, brush and brilliant flowers.

  Laura took a deep breath. The rich scents of flowers and mulch, along with the silence of the enclosed yard, was heady. “This is so cool, how did you find it?”

  “I was out running about two weeks ago, trying to get used to the heavy air and smog and I just kind of stumbled on it.”

  They shared a grimace as they crossed the spongy grass. The legendary dirty air of China had lived up to its reputation, despite assurances from the various Olympic officials. The smog was one of the reasons the U.S. team had chosen to train in Japan until transitioning to Beijing just a week before Cass joined them.

  Cass led them to a small stone bench that looked as if it had grown up under the ancient tree that shaded it. Dappled in grays, greens and blacks, the carvings on the bench were worn with time, nearly invisible to the eye and barely discernible to searching fingers.

  Laura sat and leaned back, resting against the gnarled tree trunk, and Cass watched her close her eyes in apparent appreciation. In here, the noise and bustle of the busy city outside seemed far away. Even the ever-present smog seemed less dense. The damp smell of the grass, combined with the musty smell of whatever the caretakers used to mulch the flower beds, and the flowers themselves, hung in the air, but was not oppressive. It was wonderful.

  “What is this place? Are we in somebody’s garden?” Laura opened her eyes and looked up at Cass.

  “Miu, over in the gym? She said it’s a park and really, I’ve checked all around. That’s the only entrance. It’s called ‘Xiangshan.’ Miu says it means ‘fragrant hills.’ I think she’s right, it smells incredible in here, doesn’t it?”

  Cass sat on the ground, resting her back against the bench, one shoulder just brushing Laura’s leg. She leaned her head back and studied the steep hillside that climbed away toward the sky. She pointed out what she knew of the park. “Miu called the trees with the fan-shaped leaves ginkgo and the others are called smoke trees. She says they turn amazing shades of orange and gold in the autumn.”

  “You and Miu seem to be chatting a lot.”

  “She’s been great. She helped me get settled and made sure the other equipment guys knew where to put my stuff.”

  “Yeah, she did the same for the team when we got here.”

  They sat together in silence, Cass enjoying the opportunity to simply relax and be. The gentle perfume of the blooming trees and flowers bathed them in sweet, aromatic waves as the breeze filtered through the little park. In the comfortable silence, Cass was acutely aware of where her shoulder rested against Laura’s knee, of the warmth she felt through the thin material of her polo shirt. She liked the connection and was careful not to move too much as she settled her back more comfortably against the bench. She hadn’t been looking for company today, had, in fact, been trying to avoid it. But now she was glad that company had found her. That it had been Laura who’d found her.
/>   “Hey Cass?”

  “Mmm?” Cass’s voice was sleepy as Laura’s soft voice pulled her from her thoughts.

  “This is perfect, thanks for sharing it with me.”

  “My pleasure.”

  “Mind if I ask you something?”

  “Mmm. Nope, but I get a question in exchange.”

  Cass felt Laura’s knee move against her shoulder, and she looked up to see Laura’s green eyes sparkling down at her. You hate personal discussions, dummy, and you just opened yourself up for one. But, surprisingly, in this case she didn’t seem to mind. As long as it was Laura doing the asking.

  “Fair enough, I guess.” Laura hesitated for a long moment before speaking. “What’s the deal with your family? I mean, I guess I expected that you’d have lots of family here, or at least at home, cheering you on.”

  “Wow, ask an easy question, why don’t you?” Taking a chance, Cass shifted her back away from the bench leg and rested it fully against Laura’s softer legs. She crossed her legs and idly began shredding a fallen leaf.

  “Um. Sorry. Bad subject. Never mind.”

  Cass twisted and caught the look of embarrassment on Laura’s face. She felt bad for shutting her down. It was the first time Laura had initiated any real conversation and she’d blown it. Suck it up, Cass. She took a deep breath and allowed herself to enjoy the warmth of Laura’s legs against her back before speaking. “It’s okay I guess. I don’t have a dad. Well, I suppose I did, but I mean I don’t know who he is. My mom...”

  Cass’s voice caught and Laura lifted her head from where it lay resting against the tree behind them. She reached out and rested her hand on Cass’s hair, and Cass leaned into the touch. The pain she felt warred with the peace of the garden and Cass resented the intrusion.